English has two chanterelles. One of them derives from the Latin cantare, meaning to sing, and denotes a female partridge used to lure other fowl to within gunshot, rather like the sirens of Greek mythology whose lovely singing lured sailors to their destruction on the rocks that surrounded their island. This chanterelle is also the name of the treble string on a guitar or violin. The other chanterelle, which is sometimes spelled chantarelle, is a fragrant yellow mushroom whose name first appeared in the late eighteenth century. Its name comes from the Latin cantharus, meaning cup, which was bestowed on the fungus because of its shape. The Latin cantharus may also be the source of the word tankard, a kind of beer stein: it’s possible that the c and the of cantharus traded position, a process known as metathesis, resulting in thancarus, which then became tankard.
Chanterelle mushrooms, which feature a distinctive cup shape with a ruffled edge and a brief stem, are a wild mushroom variety. While they are extensively utilized in France, they also grow in the United States and can be found in wooded areas throughout the summer months.